chore

American  

[chawr, chohr] / tʃɔr, tʃoʊr /

noun

1. a small or odd job; routine task.

   Synonyms:

   stint, errand, work, duty

2. chores, the everyday work around a house or farm.

3. a hard or unpleasant task.

   Solving the problem was quite a chore.

---

chore ¹ British  

/ tʃɔː /

noun

1. a small routine task, esp a domestic one

2. an unpleasant task

---

-chore ² British  

combining form

1. (in botany) indicating a plant distributed by a certain means

   anemochore

---

Related Words

See task.

Other Word Forms

• -chorous combining form

Etymology

Origin of chore

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English char, Old English cyrr, variant of cierr, cerr. See char ³

Example Sentences

Rural school was sporadic; household chores—scrubbing shirts, sweeping ashes, carrying wood and water—were endless.

From Literature

One morning in the early spring, Papa came in from doing the chores with an empty milk bucket in his hand.

From Literature

When I offered to help with the chores, Ida warmed considerably, and she was delighted when I said I could milk a goat.

From Literature

The double burden for working mothers of managing the brunt of household chores and childcare while also maintaining their careers is another key factor, they say.

From Barron's

She poured a mug of water from her favorite blue bottle, brushed her teeth above a clump of grass that needed the spit, and started her chores.

From Literature

Related Words

• assignment
• burden
• duty
• errand
• housework
• routine
• workout